The sun was setting over Novaria's busy town square, painting the cobblestone streets in warm golden light. People filled the square, laughing and chatting as they enjoyed the evening. Colorful festival banners fluttered overhead like butterflies in the breeze, advertising the upcoming New Light Festival. The smell of fresh-baked bread and grilled meat drifted from food stalls, making mouths water.
The bright blue neon sign of Pizza Zap cast an electric glow against the orange sunset. Inside, the old-school pizzeria buzzed with life – the sizzle of melting cheese, the chatter of happy customers, and the whoosh of the big brick oven working overtime.
Bill sat in a corner booth, still trying to wrap his head around having not one, but three identical Angelos sitting across from him. Steam rose from their giant pizza slices, the cheese stretching over the edges of their plates. His new mentor was intimidating enough on his own – having three versions of him was almost too much to process.
Angelo took a big bite of his slice, strings of melted cheese dangling from his chin. Next to him, Red's face lit up with pure joy, even though he hadn't taken a single bite.
"Oh man, that's the good stuff!" Red practically moaned, closing his eyes in bliss. "Nothing beats a perfect slice after a long day!" He threw his head back dramatically, like he was having a religious experience.
Bill's eyes bounced between the three identical faces, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Before he could ask any of the dozen questions spinning in his head, Angelo turned to Red with an eye roll that suggested he'd seen this performance before.
"We get it, Red. You're obsessed with pizza," Angelo said, wiping cheese from his chin with a napkin. "But why materialize just to be weird about it? You can taste it through me without all..." he waved his hand vaguely, "this."
Red leaned across the table with a grin that spelled trouble, his voice dropping to a stage whisper. "See, it's simple – Billy-boy here gets all twitchy when I pop up, and I just love making people squirm. His discomfort is my comfort!" He wiggled his eyebrows for emphasis.
Angelo and Bill shared a look of mutual disbelief. The only sound between them was the distant rumble of the pizza oven and the muffled conversations of other customers.
"You're a psychopath," Angelo muttered, shaking his head.
Red's grin just got bigger, showing too many teeth. "Well well, Angie! If I'm crazy, what's that make you? I'm just another slice of your charming personality pie!" He tapped his temple knowingly.
Blue, who'd been watching the whole exchange with growing irritation, finally spoke up. His voice cut through their bickering like a cool breeze on a hot day. "That's enough, Red. The Professor already explained our condition. Stop your attempt at confusion."
Blue's expression softened as he looked at Bill, who was staring at them like he was trying to solve a particularly tricky math problem. At least the rookie didn't look terrified anymore, which was progress. Maybe Red's annoying antics had actually helped, in a weird way.
"You must be having a lot of questions," Blue said gently, trying to make sense of this strange situation.
Bill let out a nervous laugh, fidgeting with his napkin until it started shredding. "That's putting it mildly," he admitted. "I feel like I'm dreaming or something."
Blue adjusted his non-existed glasses. "I can see how this would be... overwhelming. Let me try to explain. To put it simply, the energy that makes up Angelo got split into three separate pieces – three different versions of the same person, all sharing one mind."
Bill's forehead wrinkled in confusion. Seeing his struggle, Angelo jumped in with a simpler explanation.
"How is that putting it simply? Look kid," Angelo said, leaning forward on his elbow. "Think of it like this – we're three slices of the same pizza. Different pieces, same pie. That's why Red can taste what I'm eating without actually eating anything himself."
Right on cue, Red let out another exaggerated moan of pleasure. "Speaking of which, this pizza is incredible!" He slumped back in his seat like he was about to faint from joy.
A small smile finally crept onto Bill's face as things started clicking into place. "Okay, I think I'm getting it," he said slowly. "But wait – if that's how it works, why can't Red just eat his own slice? Why does he have to... you know, taste through you?"
Angelo sighed heavily, like he was explaining something for the hundredth time. "Because Red's body isn't actually real," he explained, gesturing at his enthusiastic copy. "It's more like... a body made of energy. If he tried eating pizza and then merged back with me, we'd end up with half-chewed food all over the floor."
Red's eyes lit up with mischief. "Ooh, now that sounds like a fun experiment!" He reached for a slice. "Want me to try it?"
Angelo slapped Red's hand away with lightning speed. "Don't you dare," he hissed.
As their bickering continued, Bill found himself relaxing, fear giving way to genuine curiosity. "So if I'm understanding right," he ventured, "Red and Blue aren't some kind of superpower – they're actually part of who you are? Like a medical condition or something?"
Angelo and Blue exchanged surprised looks, impressed by how quickly Bill was catching on. "That's... pretty spot on," Angelo admitted, his stern expression softening a bit.
Encouraged by getting it right, Bill leaned forward eagerly, nearly knocking over his soda in excitement. "Is that what makes you such a strong Auron? This whole teamwork-with-yourself thing? I've heard stories about the criminals you've caught – you must be super powerful, like Veteran rank at least, right?"
Angelo blinked, caught off guard by the sudden enthusiasm. "...To be honest, I don't really pay attention to rankings," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Is Veteran considered good?"
Bill's whole face lit up like a New Light Festival decoration "Oh man, do I have stuff to teach you! Okay, so let's start at the beginning. First rank is Novice..."
Red groaned loud enough to make nearby customers turn and stare. "Great, another lecture. Just what this pizza party needed."
Ignoring Red completely, Bill launched into his explanation, words tumbling out in an excited rush. "After Novice, you've got Adept, then Elite, then Veteran!"
Blue perked up, genuinely interested. "So Veteran is the fourth tier? That would be quite impressive, Angelo."
Bill nodded so hard his curls bounced. "Absolutely! There are eight ranks total. The first four are the lower tiers, and the last four are where things get really intense. Veteran is the highest of the lower ranks. After that you hit the big leagues, starting with Arch rank."
Angelo stared down at his half-eaten pizza slice, his appetite fading as he remembered Professor Albert's words about his powers being only half as strong as they should be. "Right, I suppose that is pretty impressive..." He ran his finger through the condensation on his glass, drawing aimless patterns while trying not to let his disappointment show.
Bill didn't notice Angelo's mood shift. He was too caught up in his explanation, practically bouncing in his seat as he continued, "After that comes Master rank, and then there's Enlightened rank!"
Red perked up at that, suddenly interested despite his earlier complaints about lectures. "Hey, that's the one we just learned about, right?" He leaned forward, pizza temporarily forgotten.
Blue's analytical expression sharpened. "Yes, though I'm curious about something. You placed Enlightened as the seventh. I assumed Enlightened would be the highest rank, since it's connected to the actual Enlightened Society. People say Aurons at that rank can match real ES members in power."
A knowing smile spread across Bill's face, making him look like a kid with an amazing secret. "But what if I told you that you can go further beyond..." He paused for dramatic effect, clearly enjoying their attention. "There's one more level – it's called Legendary rank, and it's exactly what it sounds like!"
Angelo's jaw tightened as he drew more patterns in his glass's condensation, trying to hide his growing frustration. Bill didn't notice, too caught up in his own excitement.
"They say Lu-Min herself was a Legendary Auron," Bill explained, his eyes shining like he was talking about his favorite superhero. "You know, the one who founded our whole nation!"
Blue tilted his head thoughtfully, like a professor considering a new theory. "Fascinating. I always thought that was just a way of saying she was renowned – not that she actually held a specific rank called 'Legendary.'"
Angelo went back to his pizza, taking deliberate bites and trying to focus on the taste instead of the conversation. Red settled back in his seat, content to experience the meal through their shared connection. The familiar sounds of the pizzeria – sizzling ovens, clinking plates, happy chatter – filled the silence between them.
Blue studied Bill's expression, noticing how the young officer practically vibrated with contained excitement about the ranking system. He leaned forward, genuinely curious. "You seem to know a lot about Auron rankings, Bill. What got you so interested in them?"
Bill's cheeks turned pink as he looked down at the table, suddenly shy. "Well," he started, his voice mixing embarrassment with enthusiasm, "I'm actually a huge Pro Auron fan. There are these amazing tournaments where they compete – it's like watching superheroes fight! They organize everything by rank – Novice fights Novice, Adept fights Adept, all the way up to the Arch division."
Angelo, who had been brooding silently over his food, couldn't help himself. "What, no divisions for Master through Legendary?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.
Blue shot Angelo a serious look, catching the bitterness in his tone.
Bill missed Angelo's sarcasm completely, eager to explain. "Those kind of Aurons are super rare," he said, still starry-eyed. "And honestly, they're way too powerful for regular tournaments. I don't think they'd even be interested in fighting for fun. But man," his voice dropped to an excited whisper, "can you imagine how incredible it would be to see?"
Red, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly grinned like a kid planning mischief. "Oh man, now that's my kind of carnage."
Encouraged by the conversation, "So... what's your rank?" Bill turned to Angelo with nervous curiosity then quickly added: "Sir."
Angelo met Bill's eyes, his expression going hard as stone. After a long pause, he answered flatly, "I don't have one."
Bill's mouth fell open in shock. "Wait, what? You've never taken the ACE test?"
Angelo looked away, focusing on something in the distance. "Never saw the point," he muttered. "A rank doesn't change how well I can do my job."
Bill lowered his voice like he was sharing a huge secret. "But... don't you know about the benefits? We just found out today that your rank affects how much money you make!"
Red exploded out of his seat like someone had lit a firecracker under him. "Hold up, WHAT?! We could be making more cash?!"
Angelo grabbed Red's arm and yanked him back down, face burning with embarrassment. "Sit down and shut up," he hissed. "It doesn't matter anyway. We're not exactly going to score high on any tests."
Bill stared at Angelo, completely confused. "But why not? You're always catching bad guys. You'd definitely make Adept rank at least!"
Angelo slumped in his seat, suddenly looking exhausted. "It's not that simple," he sighed. "Look, think about regular people. Most folks don't work out much, right? Only a few really dedicated people hit the gym all the time. Those serious bodybuilders could easily overpower average people."
Bill nodded slowly, following along.
"It's the same with Aurons," Angelo continued. "Most are happy with the natural strength boost their aura gives them. They don't push themselves. So someone like me, who trains and fights all the time, might look tough compared to them. But against Aurons who really train seriously?" His voice dropped to almost a whisper. "I'm probably at the bottom of the barrel."
The busy pizzeria seemed to fade away as Angelo's words sank in. His unique condition was like a double-edged sword – giving him amazing abilities but also holding him back from ever reaching his full strength.
Nobody knew what to say after that. Angelo stared at his half-eaten pizza crust with distant eyes, clearly lost in troubled thoughts.
Suddenly, a deep boom shook the air, making Pizza Zap's windows rattle. Everyone in the restaurant stopped talking, looking around in confusion.
Angelo jumped to his feet, every muscle tense. "That wasn't thunder," he muttered, eyes narrowing as he stared out the window.
Another boom hit, even louder. In the distance, people started screaming. Other customers rushed to the windows, trying to see what was happening in the darkening evening.